The Kapor Center for Social Impact and the Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools (ACCESS) released a policy brief detailing disparities in Advanced Placement Computer Science A test taking in California and the nation.

Key findings of the policy brief include:

Only 0.5% of the 1.9 million public HS students in CA took AP Computer Science in 2016

60% of California’s student population is Latinx or African American, yet these students comprise just 16% of students taking AP Computer Science in 2016

Female students comprised 27% of all AP Computer Science test-takers, and 77% of those were White or Asian

Latinx students comprise 15% of all AP Computer Science test-takers in California, representing a positive growth of 52% over 2015

African American students comprise just 1% of all AP Computer Science test-takers; this number has decreased since 2015

The report concludes with a set of recommendations to expand access and equity in computer science in California.